The One I Hold Dearest
by Flamewing98
Summary: During his first day of Sophomore year, a young Stephen Langley saves a girl from a group of thugs. The two discover that they happen to go to the same high school, and are happy to become friends! However, this new girl has something odd about her, and Stephen can't quite place it. OC/ OOC/ AU. (I try to make a pretty good horror, so read at your own risk)


**The One I Hold Dearest**

**Hey guys, Flamewing98 here! Today I'd like to present the fruits of my lessons from trying to write two stories that would have been a series… but sadly flopped. So… I'm writing a one chapter story instead, and I get to change things up a little bit as a result! It'll be a little different for any of you who already happen to read my stories. I hope you enjoy!**

**Fair bit of warning… this gets pretty gruesome at some points, so I'll give it a tentative T rating. If anyone seriously feels that to be too low, please pm me and I'll change it to M. You have been warned.**

**(…)**

Hello there, my name is Stephen Langley… and I'm dying.

Didn't see that coming? Heh… well… me neither. In fact, during these last few, agonizing breaths, I'm STILL trying to piece together just where I went wrong. I can hear someone coming closer to me… but I don't really care anymore. I'm a dead man anyways…

**(…)**

_Six months ago…_

My day started like any other high school student; with a loud ass alarm clock buzzing in my ear.

**EEEERN! EEEERN! EEERN! EEERN! EEERN! *****click***

Opening my groggy eyes, I sat up in my bead and blinked a few times to clear my vision. I could see just a little bit of sunlight coming through my window, typical for early autumn. Steeling myself, I withdrew myself from the shell of warmth that was my bed and ventured once again into the cold world that was my carpet. Thankfully, I had a pretty small room. Besides my bed, I also had a dresser, nightstand with a digital clock and lamp, and a small fish tank with a little Magikarp who I called Noah. Stupid… I know.

But I had little time to waste looking at my room. I was a sixteen year old sophomore in high school! I had things to do! So I grabbed my usual garb of a blue and yellow t-shirt, blue jeans, boxers, and some socks and went on my merry way to the shower. After finishing the shower, I stopped to see how I looked in the mirror. My hair was brown and a little spiked in the front… no gel needed. I had a pretty normal face, but people always seemed to tell me it could change. It could either be gentle and loving, or as cold as ice. I don't really get that. But my favorite part was my eyes.

See… my father died not too long after my mom found out she was pregnant. So she was forced to give birth, raise an infant, and deal with my pre-teen days all by herself. She said I looked mostly like her, hair color and all. But I had apparently inherited my dad's violet eyes. It felt nice to be able to see him in a way, besides the dated photographs. Finally deciding to end the trip down memory lane, I rushed downstairs where the distinct scent of eggs was emanating. Rounding the corner into the kitchen, I saw that my mom was indeed cooking some eggs.

"Mornin, Mom!" I greeted as I took a chair at the table. Knowing me all too well, my mom had placed out my plate, utensils, and poured a fresh glass of Pecha juice, my favorite. She knows how to spoil a guy, let me tell ya…

"Good morning, Honey!" My mom happily replied, turning the pan of freshly cooked eggs towards me. Sliding them onto my plate, my mom put the pan away and sat down beside me on the table, drinking a mug of coffee she had made for herself. "It's nice to see you actually get out of bed by yourself. You must be growing up!"

"Aw come on, mom!" I protested, mouth half full of egg. Pausing to swallow, I continued my argument. "If mornings wanted me to experience them, then they shouldn't suck so much! It's simple logic!"

"Oh, but mornings are wonderful!" My mom countered. "In fact, you should think of coming with me on my morning jog sometime."

"No thanks, Mom. Mornings are about as useful as a soup fork."

"Of course. Whatever you say, kiddo," My mom replied, coyly taking a sip of her mug. I could practically feel the sarcasm. Deciding to give the round to her this morning, I hastily finished my eggs, downed my juice and put the plate and glass away in the sink.

"Thanks for breakfast, mom. But I gotta get goin' early today!" I said, walking over the door and grabbing my backpack and putting my sneakers on. I lived pretty close to school, and preferred to walk anyways. It was good exercise and saved my mom a good bit of money to boot.

"Today's the day that HEMA Club chooses its captain, right?" My mom asked, leaning around the corner to at least see me as I put my white sneakers on.

"Yeah!" I eagerly replied. See, HEMA is a martial art that focuses on sword fighting, like fencing. I loved the sport of fencing, and was overjoyed to see that Kanto High had a team. It wasn't too big, but the gang was really great to be with last year. I was hoping to return the favor and lead them as captain! "Wish me luck!" Throwing open the door, I faintly heard my mom wish me said luck before I shut the door behind me.

The weather was pretty typical for late September. It was getting to the middle of autumn, so the leaves were all their usual shades of fall color. There were reds, yellows, and even some weird purple trees. Naturally, the pines maintained their green. There was a pretty light wind, but it was enough to make me grateful that I had a good bit of muscle from all those years of fencing. All of those skinny kids would probably be wearing their coats today.

Looking up, I saw a flock or Murkrow making their way to wherever it is Murkrow go in the fall. Maybe they saw something dead in the road. I didn't care much. I was just enjoying my walk to school, taking in the sights of nature. However, some shouting interrupted my peace. Taking my eyes down from the sky, I was shocked to see a group of guys all surrounding some small figure. I couldn't quite make them out, so I got closer.

"Ha! Look at her!" One of the thugs laughed. "She's shakin' like a leaf!"

"Why don't you come wit us, den? We'll keep yous nice and warm!" Another added, making the whole group burst out into laughter.

"Please… just leave me alone…" A barely audible voice asked. True to what the idiots said, it was a girl's voice. Now closer, I could make out blue hair, a white beanie and what looked like a pink miniskirt. I have no idea why she was wearing something like THAT in the middle of fall…but now wasn't the time. This girl needed help!

Another thing I should probably mention about myself is that I've always been kinda a sucker for being the hero. My father used to be a soldier before he died, so maybe some part of him was tellin' me to save others like he used to, eh? So, true to form, I got closer to the group and raised my voice.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" I commanded, making my voice as commanding as I could. I'm not sure if it worked, but the group all turned their heads towards me. One of them, wearing a leather jacket and having hair a in a bright green Mohawk walked up to me. Now I was pretty tall, so he was about level with me, despite easily being a senior.

"And who are you, huh? Her boyfriend?" this got another round of laugher from the group of chuckleheads. "Well I got some bad news for ya. We're takin' this here little missy with us, since you can't seem to do the job right. Ain't that right, fellas?"

"Yeah!"

"She needs comfortin', see?"

"We'll take reeeaaal good care of her."

Needless to say, the girl was visibly shaking by now. Whether that was from fear or the cold, I'm not sure. But I had heard enough. I had a pretty good idea of what these guys had in mind for her, and didn't plan on letting this innocent girl meet that fate. As Mr. Mohawk turned back to the girl, I gave him my ultimatum.

"You lay a hand on her, and I break it." Stopping, the man laughed.

"You hear that, boys? Mr. Boyfriend here thinks he can take me!" True to form, the chuckleheads laughed in unison. It was as they were all the same person, seriously! "Then I guess I gotta just put him in his place!" The man in leather turned towards me and raised hands in mockery. Adjusting my weight, I got ready to beat this guy's ass in. See… when I said HEMA mainly focuses on swords… I was hoping to emphasize the word "mainly". It uses swords, sure. But we also practice a lot with unarmed combat and grappling. And I could tell right away that this guy usually won from intimidation alone, so I was pretty confident.

Seeing my stance, the leader, as I assumed he was, took his own version of it. However, he was pretty sloppy. We circled one another for a few seconds while his group of idiots all cheered for him to "Open a can of whoop-ass on me". It was pretty funny. However, the truce didn't last long as the leader soon rushed me, his arm raised in an obvious right hook to my head. Dodging to my left and turning, I took hold of his forearm with both hands and held it over my left shoulder. Quickly deciding that in the case this guy goes to the police with this that I could justify it with self-defense, I brought his forearm down and heard a satisfying snap as his bone broke. Mr. Leader howled and wailed as he tumbled back and fell on his ass, clutching his arm like an injured child.

"He broke my fuckin' arm!" He howled. The group of idiots rushed to his aid, of course. However, they ended up just standing there like a bunch of dopes as their leader shouted curses at me. Eventually he stood up and glared at me with blood-shot eyes. "I won't forget this, you fucker!"

"You're welcome to more of this at any time!" I taunted, holding my arms out in defiance. This guy knew I could take him if I wanted, and was just trying to intimidate me at this point. After our staring contest ended, the man strutted away as best he could, followed by his little troop of chuckleheads. I watched them go, just to be sure one of them didn't try to knife me in the back or something. You never knew, these days.

"Um… excuse me?" A petite voice began as I felt a tug on my right sleeve. Looking over, I remembered that the girl I had saved was likely still pretty scared.

"Oh, hey there," I started, turning to face her. Continuing from what I noticed earlier, the girl also wore a black vest and pink boots. She also wore a scarf, which confused me. Was her neck more worthy of warmth than her legs? Pushing the thought aside, I resumed speaking. "I hope you're alright. Did they do anything to you?"

"Uh uh…" She said, voice still slightly quivering. "You saved me." She looked up at me at this point, with eyes that practically sparkled. They were a nice shade of blue. Deep… like the ocean.

"Oh uh… I guess I did!" I fumbled, not used to the praise. I rubbed my head the way I always did when I was embarrassed. "But enough about that... Are you gonna be alright? I'm on my way to school, so I won't be able to keep an eye on ya."

"I think so," She began. "I go to Kanto High, which is pretty close. I should be okay."

"No shit?" I asked. "That's where I'm headed! You're free to tag along I you want."

"You mean you don't mind if I'm with you?" she asked. I swear I heard complete relief in her voice, which made me chuckle a bit.

"Nah, it's all good! But we gotta hurry. I'm gonna be late for my meeting if we don't move it!" With a nod, we both took off at a modest job with the sidewalk. She was obviously decently fit, as she had no trouble keeping up with me. "I take it you're a freshman, then?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. My mom and I just moved here a few weeks ago," Dawn replied.

"Where from?"

"Sinnoh." That explained a lot. I heard it can get pretty cold up there, which explained the miniskirt.

"Well hey, welcome to Kanto!" I joked, giving her a mock salute as the schoolyard came into view. I guess it was funny, because the giggled at the gesture. Finally, we arrived at the school. A few kids were here and there in their own social groups. It was nothing special, really. Nerds here, jocks there, Goths smoking out back… the usual. Plotting my course inside to the room, I turned and gave Dawn a wave. "See ya around! I gotta get going!" Taking off, I could have sworn I heard her say something, but I didn't pay it much mind. I was just barely going to make it to the meeting on time.

Storming upstairs to the second floor, I arrived at the door just as the coach was rising to shut it. Giving me a questioning glance but saying nothing, Mr. Chuck simply closed the door. Looking around, I recognized some of my pals instantly. There were some new faces as well, which was good. While pretty well known throughout the school, not many people wanted to take up fencing. I'd say about only twenty of us were in the room. Seems like everyone else would just rather play football and shit. Their loss.

"It's nice to see everyone made it on time," Mr. Chuck said from the front, again giving me a glance. I get it man, I barely made it. Sheesh. "We will now hear the speeches from our two finalists for the captain election. Stephen, you can wait. Drew, you're up first. To my left, my green haired friend Drew rose from his seat. He was an alright guy; kinda selfish, sure, but nice enough once you got to know him. People joked that we but heads a lot, which we kinda do I guess. But we get along.

"Thank you, coach!" Drew replied, moving to the front. "Everyone! If elected as captain, I will strive to make our club the best in the school! Everyone will know who we are, and they'll practically be shoving each other out of the way to get into our training sessions! Rather than the football team or basketball team, it'll be the fencing team that takes the glory during the pep rallies! Remember, a vote for Drew is a vote for you!" He ended his speech by pointing at the audience in general. A good number of them clapped, while others muttered.

"Typical Drew," Gary muttered from my right. Like me, Gary had brown spiky hair. A little shorter than me, Gary definitely made himself known in other ways. He was a total playboy. If he wasn't hitting on a girl, Gary was either sick, eating, or recovering from getting slapped. But he was a good guy, and a damn good fencer.

Returning to his seat to my left, Drew nudged me as I rose. "Top that one, Langley."

"You should know better than to offer me a challenge, Drew," I replied with a grin. Walking to the front, I about-faced to look at everyone. "Hey guys, Stephen Langley here! I can't quite set my expectations for myself as high as our boy Drew can, but I can give it a shot, eh?" I paused to let the few chuckles I got die off. "If captain, I'll focus more on developing our teamwork, coordination, and sportsmanship. I see we have some new faces here, and it's good to see you guys. You'll love it here, and we hope you even tell your friends about it. But that aside, I don't think we need any recognition. You all remember last year, don't you?"

"As if you could forget, Mr. Hero!" Gary barked, making the room laugh again. I smiled to myself, recalling the event. As soon as I joined the club, everyone learned immediately about my whole "hero" thing. They gave me a little shit, sure, but they were cool about it. But what Gary was talking about was our event at the last pep rally of the year. During one of the games where they called random students to the front Mr. Chuck had made a few changes. Naturally, he called out several pre-chosen guys from the fencing club. As soon as he did, they stormed in through various doors to the gym with blunt swords and acted the part of villains. It was a little odd at first, but the guys really topped it off when they grabbed some of the staff and held swords to their necks, blunt as they were.

Getting to the point, I was picked ahead of time to act as the hero of the story. However, unlike my fellow club members, I actually was in the audience. And let me tell you, it is Not easy to sneak a longsword into a gymnasium unnoticed. I still don't remember how I did it. Anyways, once the fear factor started setting in on the audience, I pulled my sword out and charged onto the floor, shouting some heroic banter as I did. One by one, I fought my fellow club members and beat them, but only because they let me. Half of these guys could have me on the floor in a second if they really wanted to, but this was all for fun.

The fun part was when I got to Gary. Unlike my fellow club members, he decided to say "fuck it" to the script and came at me with everything he had. It definitely caught me off guard at first, but I fell into the rhythm pretty quick. The whole gym was silent except for the clashing of the sword that Gary and I were using, which was pretty amazing given our audience. After what felt like forever, I finally tricked Gary into an early attack and knocked his sword aside with my own and went for a stab. The tip bent as it hit his chest, as all training swords do, but that signaled his defeat. After a flourish and a short monologue of what the "unclaimed young maidens" would do without him, Gary finally fell over "dead" and I hoisted my sword up as the victor.

"Well that was fun and all, but not really what the club is about. It's about comradery, teamwork, and the bond we all share. I aim to strengthen that, if you'll all let me," I finished, giving the audience our club salute. The applause was a little louder this time, I thought. Sitting down again, I gave Drew a nudge. "That good enough?" He merely smirked and "hmph"d in reply. Mr. Chuck then returned to the front.

"Thank you, you two. Now, it's time for the vote! All in favor of having Drew as captain, raise your hand and make it known!" Several people in the crowd shot their hands up and shouted "AYE!", which is what Mr. Chuck had meant. But it definitely wasn't half. "All in favor of Stephen?" This time, everyone else in the room shot their hands and shouted, finalizing the decision. Rising again, I walked to the front and stood in front of Mr. Chuck as he took out a white cape from his desk. The cape was a sign for our club. It was given to new captains as a sign of their freshness to the position. Throughout the year, they were expected to get it dirty, torn, and used. However, it HAD to stay in one piece. Any captain who ruined their cape was deemed as bad luck, or so the legend told. Accepting the cape, I tied it around my neck and saluted my club mates, who all rose and saluted back.

"Alright everyone, let's make this a damn good year!" I said, putting on my best commanding voice.

"Yes, Captain!" Everyone replied, making me grin. It was going to be a nice year.

**(…)**

I'd laugh at the memory if I could, but it hurt to even breathe at this point. Seeing was pretty hard too, given that all I could see was fuzzy pink carpet, and my blood slowly creeping towards my outstretched hand. The door creaked open to the room I was in, but I couldn't look to see who it was. It didn't matter though, as I already knew.

"You tried to abandon me," Her cold voice said. She began creeping closer, stopping just behind me. "I won't let you do that."

**(…)**

I know my last memory seemed pretty innocent, but that was just my morning. After that, I met with my pals for the morning before school. The front was packed with people just doing what high school kids do in the morning; look for their group of friends and stick to them like glue. Seriously, never be alone at high school. The bullies will eat you alive. After putting my cape away in my backpack, I exited the school and scanned the grass, already knowing where to look to see my friends. Right beneath the big tree they were. My best pal Ash sat down, laughing at a joke no doubt told by Brock. Misty, May, and even Ritchie were there too, rounding out our little cast.

"Hey guys!" I waved, walking over and sitting beside Ash. He wore his usual outfit. A baseball cap, a black shirt with a blue vest, jeans and sneakers rounded out his arsenal.

"What's up, man?" Ash asked, clasping me on the shoulder. "You just missed the funnies damn joke I've heard!"

"Oh, so it wasn't Brock you were all laughing at, then?" I teased, making everyone laugh again. Looking at Brock, I waited for him to tell the joke. Despite hanging out with a bunch of sophomores, Brock was actually a year ahead of all of us, making him a junior. Some people in his class gave him a hard time for taking classes like cooking, but he didn't mind. Like Gary, Brock was a total ladies man. Well… he tried to be. He was usually in class with some of the hottest girls at school, so he had plenty of opportunity at least. Wearing an orange shirt, jeans and sneakers, Brock didn't stand out much. But he was a great guy to go to if you needed advice. It was almost like he was like a philosopher or something.

"Very funny, Stephen," Brock replied. "Anyway, it goes like this. So a guy gets drunk, right? Then, as he walks home, he sees a Jynx…" Brock began, but I didn't pay much attention. Looking past Brock, I saw her again. Dawn was looking at me from the other side of the yard. She was alone. Ignoring Brock's story, I waved her over, already working out on how to introduce her to my friends. Hesitantly, Dawn made her way over. All of my friends were looking at her then, having followed my gaze. Finally reaching us, Dawn looked at the ground nervously.

"No need to be shy, Dawn," I encouraged. "These are my friends!"

"Is she a cousin of yours or something?" May asked.

"Nah, I just met her this morning. She was being bothered by one of our local idiots," I explained, earning a sound of protest from Misty.

"Ugh, I hate those creeps! I'm just glad they're all dropouts so we don't have to deal with them here!" She said, crossing her arms and turning her face away. The rest us just kinda chuckled at it. Misty was always pretty easy to rile up. But she was a nice girl and a great swimmer too.

"I don't like them either," Dawn said, faint as her voice was. "But Stephen saved me from them!"

"Did he, now?" Ash asked, giving me a sly grin. He knew better than anyone about my "hero complex" as he called it.

"Sure did!" I said, not skipping a beat. "Even gave one of 'em a broken arm to remember me by."

"Humpf. They deserve worse," Misty scoffed, smiling nonetheless.

"Is… is it alright if I hang out with you guys?" Dawn nervously asked. "I don't really have any friends here yet… and Stephen kinda left me once we got here together."

"Stephen!" May began, giving me a mocking glare. "How could you just leave a young lady at the doorstep!?"

"Hey, hey, hey!" I protested, throwing my hands up in surrender. "I had a meeting to get to, alright!"

"That's right! The fencing club election meeting was today, right?" Brock asked, quieting everyone down. Dawn even sat down, giving me a curious look.

"How'd that go?" Ritchie asked, speaking up for the first time. He was always pretty quiet, but he made his words count… most of the time.

"See for yourselves!" I said, pulling the white cape out and showing it to everyone. The all gave me their congratulations in their own way, with Ash giving me his usual rough pat on the back. But that was to be expected from a guy on the tennis team. He had one hell of a swing too.

"Congratulations, man!" Ash said.

"Can we see it on you?" Dawn piped up, earning immediate approval from everyone else.

"Yeah! Let's see how Mr. Hero looks in his cape!" May teased, making me chuckle. Nevertheless, I slid my backpack off and tied the cape around my next, standing up as I did so. Thankfully, a light wind was blowing so the cape blew with it a little.

"Not bad," Brock mused, looking me over like a painting or something. "But the cape is far too clean."

"Be sure to make it nice and dirty by the end of the year, got it?" Ash said.

"Well if I ever need a backup plan, I'll just loan it to you for about an hour," I joked, making everyone laugh at Ash's expense, not that he didn't laugh too. He was a bit of a scatterbrain, so his room was nicknamed "The Crash Room" since it looked like something had crashed in there. My cape would easily get all dirty after about 5 seconds in there.

"What about you, Dawn?" Misty asked, drawing everyone's attention to our newcomer, who stiffened a little.

"Um…" she fidgeted, face a bright red. I smirked a little. Even from Sinnoh… you couldn't help but be a little chilly with that kinda of outfit on. "I… I think he looks really nice in the cape," she finally said. Both Misty and May were giggling at this point, casting glances between Dawn and I. At the time, I had no clue what that was all about.

"Well come on, Dawn. Sit down!" May eventually said, waving Dawn to join us. Hesitating for a moment, Dawn eventually walked over and sat between May and I, and we all settled into our routine of talking about this, that, and the wind before school.

**(…)**

Seems pretty innocent, doesn't it? I thought so too. My life was pretty normal for a while after that. I'd meet up with Dawn in the morning, as it turned out that our houses weren't too far away, and we'd walk to school. She seemed to enjoy it, and I'll admit she made nice company. However, things began to change one day, and it seemed to start while I was training the fencing club members.

**(…)**

"Alright everyone!" I shouted. "Time for a warm-up!" We were all out on the football field early in the morning. It was a little chilly, but nobody wore their coats. It was called a "WARM-up" for a reason, after all. "We're doing basic cuts, overhand and underhand, from this end of the field and back. Ready? GO!" At my command, everyone began the practice routing we were all shown a few days after school had started. Again, it was pretty basic, so the senior members probably found it a bit boring. However, as I started to see, some members needed a little work. My attention was immediately brought to a purple haired girl with a white shirt. Her moves were slow, reserved, and a little clumsy. Coming into step beside her, I began to talk to her.

"Hey, you doing alright?" I asked, cutting from my left as I took a step forward. "You seem a little off."

"Oh… I'm sorry," She replied nervously, cutting from her right. She stumbled a bit as her foot touched the ground, but she recovered. "I… I'm not really used to this. I wanted to try a new thing once I got into high school and this seemed interesting. I love history, so seeing how they did things fascinates me."

"That right?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've always found history pretty neat, too. Stop for a moment." At my word, she halted her routine. We were well behind everyone else, as they were nearly at the other end of the field already. "What made you choose the fencing club? HEMA isn't really a sport that you just wanna try." I was completely wrong in that, of course. Anyone could do anything if they put their mind to it, but I wanted to hear her answer.

"Oh… well… um…" She stuttered, looking down as her face turned a little red. "I've always been a little on the weak side… but I want to be stronger!" She suddenly looked at with a fire in her eyes, which I just noticed were the same kind of violet as my own. "I want to be as strong as the knights of the old times, and people won't call me weak anymore!"

"That's your answer, huh?" I asked with an amused smile, making her blush deepen. "I like it." She looked up at me again, with a look of slight confusion. "Everyone needs something that drives them forward. If you do something just for the sake of doing it… you might as well not bother. With that drive you have, I think you'll be a great swordswoman one day."

"You think so?" She asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"I know so… uhm… I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"Oh! My name is Anabel. Anabel Lila," Anabel said, bowing formally as she introduced herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Anabel," I replied with a salute of my own. "But listen… you seem to be having a bit of a tough time here. Given what you told me, your physical strength doesn't seem quite as high as it should be."

"Oh…" Anabel muttered, looking down again.

"But listen!" I interjected. "What do you think of becoming my student?"

"Student?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head.

"Yeah. A junior member can be chosen by a senior club member to become their student. Masters and students basically just have one-on-one classes to help strengthen the student. It's better for individuals who are having a tough time with the group exercises and want to catch up."

"You'd do that for me?" Anabel asked.

'Well, sure!" I replied with a warm smile. "If you wouldn't mind putting the extra time in, I think one-on-one training would really help you."

"Where would we meet, though?" Anabel asked.

"Ah, good question!" I replied, stroking my chin for a moment as I thought of an answer. "Well we could either meet in the gym, out back here, or at either of our houses I suppose… While the weather's still nice, at least."

"Sure!" Anabel happily replied. I couldn't help but chuckle a little at her enthusiasm. Most people would cringe when I mention work to them, let alone EXTRA work. But she didn't seem to mind, and I liked that. That out of the way, Anabel and I returned to training for the day, and she seemed to be a little better already. Perhaps it was her excitement that did it. I was pretty excited too, and even brought the topic up with Dawn as we walked home from school.

"You seem pretty happy today, Stephen!" Dawn noticed, looking up at me as we walked.

"Heh, yeah. Is it that obvious?" I replied.

"Mhm! You've got this big smile on your face that I could just look at forever!" Dawn replied, making me laugh a bit.

"HA! Well, I guess I'm just excited to have my own student or the fencing club."

"Student?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah. Her name's Anabel, but she's not that good of a fighter yet. So I'll be having a bit of one on one time with her to help her improve."

"Oh…" Dawn replied, but she sounded strangely disappointed with it. "When will this be?"

"Hm…" I thought, looking into the air for a moment. "I think it'd be after school, so I won't be able to walk home with you anymore. She needs a little work, so most of my time will be going to Anabel. Sorry!" I continued for a few more steps before I realized that Dawn wasn't beside me anymore. Turning, I saw that she had stopped behind me, and appeared to be muttering something.

"—ndon me. He's going to abandon me. He's going to abandon me." Dawn muttered. To be honest, it kinda freaked me out, especially the way she said it. Her voice was cold, emotionless, and empty. And then I saw her eyes. They were just as cold and empty as her voice, like voids of blackness where color should've been.

"Dawn?" I tentatively asked, slowly walking towards her. The hair on the back of my neck was standing on end, and it wasn't from the cold. Something was wrong here. I jumped a little as Dawn's head snapped up and her empty eyes locked with mine.

"Why?" She asked, sending chills up my spine as I struggled for an answer.

"Why what?" I replied.

"WHY?!" Dawn yelled, taking a step closer. "Why would you abandon me?! I thought you liked me!"

"Whoa, Dawn, calm down!" I cut in, throwing my hands to try and make my point.

"You're leaving me all alone! Everything we had, GONE!" Dawn wailed, walking past me and stopping a few steps ahead. I was pretty freaked out at this point, and kept a nervous eye on her at all times. After what felt like forever, she turned back to me with her empty glare. "Why her?"

"Anabel?" I asked innocently.

'Why her?!" Dawn repeated, much louder this time.

"I'm just helping her in her fencing skills, Dawn. I don't know why you're acting like this, but it's nothing! I'm just helping another fencer improve her skills!" I replied, feeling a sense of defiance grow in me. I don't know what Dawn was upset about, but it seemed to involve Anabel, and I would NOT let Anabel be to blame for something she didn't do. However, my defense didn't seem necessary, as Dawn seemed calmer with her next question.

"And… you'd do this for anyone?"

"Well, yeah!" I honestly replied with just a touch of confusion. What was she getting at?

"Alright then," Dawn replied, and I nearly heaved a sigh of relief as I saw her eyes return to normal. "Let's go!" She continued, smiling as if nothing had happened. Watching her turn and continue down the sidewalk, I waited for a moment. What the hell was that all about, anyways? Thinking nothing of it at the time, and just glad that it was over, I caught up to Dawn and we made our way home.

**(…)**

Now I'm sure most of you are screaming at me by this point

"Hey, idiot! There's something seriously messed up with your friend!"

Trust me… I know. That day, I pushed the event out of my mind. I met Dawn the next morning and we walked to school like we always did. However once I had gotten my gear for the fencing club's morning drill, I was shocked to see Dawn amongst our ranks.

**(…)**

"Dawn?" I asked, walking up to her. She had a white t-shirt on as well as pink gym shorts. I guess someone must've helped her find some equipment, because she had a plastic training sword on her as well. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you, silly!" Dawn replied, happy as can be.

"You mean you want to join the fencing club?" I asked, wondering what brought this on.

"Mhm!" Dawn nodded. "This way, I can see you every day and watch over you!"

"And… you wanna learn about swordplay… right?" I asked, wondering why she hadn't brought it up. The way she was saying it… it was almost like she was stalking me or something. However, my budding suspicion vanished when she nodded, confirming that she at least wanted to learn. Satisfied, I took my place in front of the group and called them to attention. Dawn took a spot beside Anabel and looked ready to go.

After going over today's drill, I called for everyone to get started. As they all went through the four-step routine down the field, Mr. Chuck had called me over and began talking to me. I don't remember what it was about, but our conversation was soon interrupted by a loud yell. Whipping my head around, I saw Anabel on the ground and clutching her right arm. Dawn was standing over her, sword raised above her head, almost as she looked ready to strike Anabel while she was down. Thinking that that didn't make any sense, I called out.

"HOLD!" I yelled, making everyone freeze in place and lower their swords. However, Dawn's was still above her head. I ran over to her and nearly lost my breath. Her eyes were just as empty as they were yesterday. However… they were focused on Anabel this time. However, Anabel's quiet sobs broke me from my chance and kicked me into Hero Mode. Getting between Anabel and Dawn, I adopted my authoritative tone. "Dawn… put the sword down… now."

"She's in the way," Dawn replied, not even shifting her gaze. It was as if she was glaring right through me at Anabel. Blinking, I tried to think about what she meant. Anabel was in the way?

"Dawn, if someone is too close to you while you're using a weapon, you either warn them or make the space yourself. What you just did was dangerous!" I waited a second for her to answer, but nothing happened. Her empty eyes just kept staring… and staring. Thankfully, I was still in Hero Mode, and took action. "DAWN!" Finally, she responded. Her usual eye color returned and she lowered her sword, raising her hand to her mouth in a silent gasp.

"I… I'm sorry," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. I was about to reprimand her, but hearing a sniffle from Anabel reminded me that she was hurt, and likely needed medical attention. Pinching my forehead for a moment and sighing in frustration, I spoke. "We'll talk about this later, Dawn. But for now, I'm forbidding you from training with us today. I need to get Anabel to the nurses office. You stay here, got it?"

Turning around, I saw Anabel still clutching her arm and holding back tears. She was pretty strong, I'll give her that. Ignoring her surprise, I scooper her up and began running towards the school. Seeing me, Mr. Chuck caught everyone's attention and got them focused on resuming the drill. I'd have to thank him later. Just as I neared the corner of the school, I cast a finally glance towards everyone and saw Dawn. She had a hand outstretched towards me, and almost looked like she was saying something. But I didn't really care at the moment. I was pretty pissed at her, for one. But Anabel needed my help first.

Using my feet to kick a door open, I ran down an empty hallway, making my way to the nurse's office as fast as I could. I must've been really hoofing it, because Anabel decided to say something.

"Um… you don't have to go so fast, Stephen. I think I'm fine." Her voice was still quivering, giving away her tough girl façade. Still, bless her for trying so hard.

"No can do, Anabel," I replied sternly. "One of my fencers hurt you, and it's my responsibility as captain to make sure you're okay. Besides, I dunno what I'd do if you got hurt like this." I think Anabel misheard me somehow after that, because her face got a little red and she smiled.

"Thank you…" She whispered. I nodded in reply and said nothing more until we got to the nurse's office. After a short examination, it turned out that Anabel was pretty lucky. Her muscles were a little bruised, and it'd definitely hurt for a few days, but there were no broken bones or anything. Leaning back in my chair, I exhaled a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

"Heehee…" The nurse giggled, glancing between Anabel and myself. "Your boyfriend must really care about you."

"Eh?!" Anabel gasped, face turning as red as a tomato. I must admit, I choked up a bit too. I desperately tried clearing my throat to clear whatever was suddenly blocking it. And when had the room gotten so warm?! Apparently the nurse found this funny, as she merely giggled again at our reactions. It was a little hard for Anabel and I to make eye contact after that.

That was something Ash and I had in common. Everyone said we were pretty stupid when it came to love. Don't get me wrong, we knew what it was, and could usually notice it in other people. But people joked that we would never tell if a girl was interested in us unless she had an "I'm flirting with you" sign glued to her forehead. But after that nurse's comment, I suddenly got to thinking. What if Anabel maybe DID like me that way? I mean, we'd be spending a lot of time together training, once her arm got better of course. I mean, she Was pretty cute… and we liked a few of the same things.

"Graargh!" I cried out, grabbing my head and leaning over. This stuff was making my head hurt. There were simply too many possibilities. I shooed the nurse away, assuring her that I was fine. A few minutes passed, and Anabel and I were eventually sent back to class after she took some pain killer. As we walked in silence, the chatter of a few other students was the only background noise. After walking passed Anabel's locker so she could grab her backpack, we continued to her first classroom in silence until she spoke up.

"Um… thank you… for helping me, I mean," She said, nervously avoiding looking at my face. Her cheeks were a little pink, and a little part of me began wondering if she was reacting to the painkillers she took somehow.

"No problem," I replied. "You gonna be okay?"

"Mhm!" she replied with a nod. We both stood there awkwardly for a moment. Damn that nurse and her comments! However, Anabel surprised me a little by beckoning me closer with a finger. Curious, I leaned over to see what it was. Boy, I sure wasn't expecting Anabel to kiss my cheek and thank me again before turning and darting into her classroom. The few people who had seen the event were making their usual remarks. There were "ooo"s, whistles, and some "Nice pick, man!"s. I didn't really hear them, as I was pretty frozen in place. However, my instincts eventually took over and, after a blur, found myself in my first class trying in vain to piece together what the hell had just happened.

**(…)**

After that day, I didn't talk to Dawn for a little while. She tried to talk to me, but I told her that, unless she apologizes to Anabel, I wouldn't talk to her. Oddly, she kept insisting that Anabel was "getting in the way". In my anger, I just stormed off, leaving Dawn on her own. She stopped hanging out with our group after that. May and Misty kept asking what had happened, and even asked Dawn to come by again. I explained what happened, but Dawn seemed aloof about it, always dodging the questions.

However, I never noticed too much. After Anabel's wound healed after a few days, we began our one-on-one training, and she surprised me a lot. Her eagerness to learn, her passion for the craft, and the way she just kept trying really got to me. I began enjoying our time more and more, and honestly began thinking of lame excuses to extend the times a little. Her stances were fine, her accuracy was good, and her technique was excellent, and yet I claimed they weren't, just to be around her more.

After finally having enough of it, I confided in my friends, mainly focusing on telling May and Misty. If anyone would know what the hell I was feeling, it'd be those two. Well… after they finished laughing at me for a good ten minutes, they explained that I was in love. I protested, of course. But they really drove it home. I loved making Anabel smile, she seemed to enjoy my company just as much. I would go out of my way to help her, more so than anyone else, and her problems pretty much became my problems. As I came to terms with it, May pointed something out to me.

"You know, Stephen. The winter dance is coming up. Why don't you ask Anabel to be your date?"

"What?!" I half-shouted, thankful that the normal lunchroom commotion. Nobody seemed to notice my outburst, so we continued talking.

"Think about it. If she feels the same way, there's no way she'd say no!" Misty added.

"Well… yeah," I stammered. "But what if she doesn't like me that way? I don't wanna ruin our friendship."

"Oh, Stephen," May signed, burying her face in her hand and shaking in disbelief. We argues for a while, I claiming that there's no way Anabel would be interested in me. May, Misty, Brock, and even fricken Ritchie all made valid points. However, it was Ash that drove it home.

"Dude, listen to me," Ash began, silencing everyone else. "I'm pretty stupid at this stuff, sure. But even I can see it. This chick's totally into you. Don't be a bitch about it. Just ask her out, man. Worst case scenario, it's awkward around you guys for a bit. But you'll get past it. You two have been pretty inseparable for a good bit now, so I don't think she'll say no."

"You really think so?" I asked, finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe… juuust maybe… Anabel really DID like me.

"Trust me," Ash began, giving me his trademark grin. "Would I lie to you?" I gave him a moment to realize the irony of his question. He lied to me all the time as a kid to make me do stupid shit, like eat a Caterpie we found on a tree. I had that taste in my mouth for days!

"Do you really want me to answer that?" I finally asked, making our whole group laugh. Finally calming down, I had my feelings in order. Telling my friends that I'd do it, I began thinking of ways to ask Anabel to the dance.

Finally, the end of the day came. Rushing to my locker as quickly as I could, I sorted what books I'd need for my homework, grabbed my stuff, put my jacket on, as it was mid December by now, and rushed out the front door while praying that I hadn't missed Anabel. Standing off to the side, I kept my eyes peeled for her. After what felt like days, I finally spotted her. Thankfully, purple hair tends to stand out a bit. Pushing my way into the crows, I got her attention.

"Anabel. Hey, Anabel!" I yelled, waving a hand in hopes of getting her attention.

"Hm? Oh! Stephen! Hello!" Anabel greeted, smiling as she saw me. Man, I loved that smile. Clearing my thoughts, I took a deep breath and began.

"Hey… uh… listen… I've been thinking something," I nervously began. My words caught in my throat, making this so much harder than it needed to be.

"What is it?" Anabel asked, tilting her head slightly. I looked at her eyes, and remembered why I was doing this. Re-steeling myself, I continued.

"Listen… you know about that winter dance coming up? Well… I was sorta wondering… Would… would you… Gods!" I cursed, finding myself unable to say it. It was so easy in my head, dammit!

"Are… are you asking me to the dance?" Anabel asked, practically flooring me. I mean, a small part of me was thankful that she asked the question for me, but I had this all planned out gosh darn it!

"I… yeah," I finally admitted, rubbing the back of my head shyly. "Did you maybe wanna go? It's fine if you say no, of course!" Anabel stopped walking for a moment, making me freeze as well. Was she going to say no? Did I think too much into this? Was everything all fucked up now?! Finally, she looked at me again with her usual smile.

"I'd love to!"

I couldn't believe it. I stood there for a moment as my brain tried to comprehend the fact that she didn't say no. Finally, my body sprang to life and I lifted her up, twirling her around as I did so. She squealed with glee after a moment and I was laughing as well. Everything was just so perfect at that moment!

"You really mean it?" I asked after I set her down. I still couldn't believe it!

"Mhm!" Anabel replied with a nod. Then she got a little shy. "If… if I can confess. I was kinds hoping you'd ask me…" Again, I still couldn't believe it. But boy was I happy! After we talked a bit more, we decided to call one another over the weekend and make plans. After we split up to go back home, I was just lost in my thoughts in happy-land. Thinking back on it, I'm kinda shocked I didn't get hit by a car, as I don't remember even looking both ways before I crossed ANY of the roads back home.

However… there was one thing that DID catch my attention. Standing where we usually met in the mornings was Dawn. She obviously heard me approach, as she turned towards me as I got closer, smiling at me.

"Stephen!" She greeted. "I'm so happy I got to see you!"

"Dawn…" I greeted a little colder than I had meant. I feel bad about it now, but dammit! I had JUST gotten the best news of my life, and now Dawn was here. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't too mad at her anymore. But I refused to fully forgive her until she apologized to Anabel, which she simply refused to do! It made no sense! "What is it?"

"I… I wanted to ask you something," Dawn began, playing with her hair for some reason. Her cheeks were a little pink too, but that was expected when you were out in the cold. Saying nothing, I simply waited for her to continue. "Do… do you know about that winter dance that's coming up?"

Right as she asked, my breath caught in my chest. No… nononono! There's no way she was going where I thought she was going! There's absolutely no fucking way she's going to do what I think she is!

"What about it?" I asked, barely hiding the tremble in my voice.

"Do… do you… uhm… have a date yet?" Dawn asked, batting her eyelashes at me. I have to admit, it was kinda cute, despite how freaked out I was. After pretty much mentally exploding for a few minutes, I somehow gathered myself back enough to reply.

"Sorry, Dawn. I just asked Anabel to be my date, and she said yes. We're gonna be making plans over the next few weeks. Sorry." I finished with my most apologetic tone I could manage. To be honest, I was surprisingly flattered about Dawn asking me to the dance, and felt genuinely bad about saying no. But, again, a small part of me still held onto that grudge I had. If she would just apologize!

"Oh….." Dawn replied, looking down enough that her hair hid her eyes. She made no sounds or movements for a few minutes, and it was starting to get pretty awkward. Looking at my watch as an excuse, I made my completely flawless escape.

"Well… I've got stuff to do at home. I'll see you around, Dawn." Walking past her, I mentally high-fived myself on a job well done. I had just somehow avoided a super awkward moment! However, my triumph was short lived as Dawn suddenly burst out laughing. But to call this laughter was just… wrong. Laughter wasn't supposed to send chills up your spine. Laughter wasn't supposed to scatter a nearby flock or Murkrow. Laughter… wasn't to be so emotionless. Finding myself frozen in my tracks, I turned around and immediately regretted it.

Dawn was facing me now. Her eyes were empty, her smile was wrong, and her face had never looked to pale. It was almost as if… as if she had snapped. She just laughed… and laughed… an laughed, never once breaking eye-contact with me. Finally… I couldn't take enough of it.

"What's so funny?!" I demanded, taking a step forward. However, I lost what little courage I had when Dawn went from laughing like a maniac, to stone-cold serious in a flash. Slowly, meticulously, she walked towards me.

"You're funny…" She said in her voice that lacked and humanity.

"I… wha-?" I began, finding myself unable to speak. My chest felt like it was being crushed with every moment she stared into my eyes. Yet, I couldn't look away.

"You're abandoning me…" Dawn said, not even blinking. "You're leaving me aaaaaallll alone."

"Listen, Dawn. We can be friends again. All you have to do is—" I began.

"I'M NEVER APOLOGIZING!" Dawn suddenly shouted, rage entering the empty voids that were her eyes. Pausing for a moment, she continued. "She's taking you from me, Stephen. You were all mine until she showed up. Now you're gone… never to return." I'll admit, I got a little pissed upon hearing this.

"So… what?" I demanded, finding a reservoir of courage within myself. "I'm just a thing to you? Something for you to own?" Dawn just shook her head in response.

"No… you're nothing to me, now. I don't want you. I don't want you. I don't want you," Dawn said. She then just kept repeating the phrase "I don't want you", over and over, never even pausing to take a breath. Losing my courage again, I backed away. Once as far away as I felt was safe… I bolted. Yes… I admit it. I ran for my life. I was terrified. Running into the house, slamming the door shut, and bolting into my room, I was forced to try and make up a lie to my mother.

Thankfully, she believed whatever bullshit excuse I had given her at the time. I don't even remember what it was. However, what Dawn had said kept haunting me, and I got no sleep that night. What the hell did she mean by "I don't want you."?

**(…)**

The next day at school was strange. Dawn didn't show up, much to everyone's confusion. She didn't hang out with our group anymore, but she was usually somewhere we could see her, always watching. We felt bad about not doing anything about it, but I was pretty adamant about not letting her back until she apologized. Now, however, it was odd. She was just… gone.

But I didn't have much time to notice, as Anabel began to pretty much take her place. She met us in the morning, taking Dawn's old place and sitting next to me. Everyone teased us, of course, but we took it in stride. We were just happy to be by one another. It was a good week. Anabel and I would meet up after school, planning this and that for the dance. We had outfits picked out, matching in color. Our friends were even saying they'd come, just to hang out. Brock claimed that he had a date too, but nobody really believed him.

Heh… boy were WE surprised when he introduced us to Lucy, a fellow junior… and his date. She apparently had a thing for guys like Brock. Even now I can't believe it. Lucky bastard… Things were going well for the group after that. But then… something happened. Something always fucking happens.

I was at Anabel's house, going over a combat book she had recently bought. It was really something amazing! It showed a few stances, attacks, and techniques that we didn't know of until now! I was in a stupid sense of awe! However, the sun had gone down a few hours ago, and I really had to get crackin' on my homework. I bid Anabel goodbye, but was shocked when she followed me out the door.

"What's up, Belle?" I asked, using the nickname I had given her.

"I need to pick up a few things at the doller-store," She replied, pointing down her street. About six blocks down was the store in question, so it wasn't far. However, call me crazy, I was a little paranoid.

"Want me to go with you?" I offered.

"No, it's okay," Anabel replied with a shake of her head. "You really should go do your homework. See you tomorrow?"

"You know it!" I replied with a thumbs-up and a wink. Giggling, Anabel gave me a wave and began walking towards the store. Rounding the first corner, I whistled a happy Christmas song to pass the time. It truly WAS good to be alive!

**(…)**

My next morning was different than most. There was no buzzer, no click as I turned the damn thing off, and no courage mustering as I stepped out into the cold. Instead, I was woken up by the sun hitting my face. It took me a while, but I finally sprang awake at it hit me. It was winter! The sun didn't rise until later in the day! I was late for school!

Nearly tripping as I gathered my things, I put my clothes on and barreled downstairs. Why didn't my mom wake me up? Did something happen? And where were my dam shoes?!

"Stephen…" My mom called from the kitchen. Slowly walking into the kitchen, my mom said nothing. Sitting down at her gesture, I listened. "Stephen… I'm sure you're wondering why I didn't wake you for school today. Long story short… it's canceled today."

"What? Why?!" I asked, leaning forward in my seat. I had to walk to school in 2 feet of snow just a few weeks ago, dammit! So why was it canceled now?

"There's been… an incident," My mom vaguely explained. She seemed to avoid the topic, which was odd. My mom was always honest with me, so this was just wrong, and set off several alarms in my head.

"Mom….. what happened?" I asked, bracing myself.

"Honie… when was the last time you saw Anabel?" My mom asked, catching my off guard. Why was that important?

"I saw her last night. She was walking to the dollar store by her house while I left to come home. Why? Did something happen?!" I stood up now, my adrenaline making it impossible for me to sit still.

"She… Anabel never came home that night," My mom explained, making my whole world crash around me. Never came home? Was she kidnapped? Killed? WORSE?!

"Oh gods…" I moaned, unable to contain it. I began pacing the room as I always did when I was worked up, running my hands through my hair as I did so. "What happened?"

"Her mother called the police after Anabel never came home. Police looked at the trail, but it snowed late last night into this morning, and there are no footprints or anything. It's as if she just… vanished," My mom explained, making me pace more. It made no sense? It was almost like this was all planned out! Who would wanna hurt Anabel? Everyone loved her! She had no enemies!

Then I stopped. No… there was one person… one person who didn't like Anabel. But it was impossible! Dawn hadn't been to school for weeks. We had all just assumed that she had moved away or something!

"No… nonononono…" I droned on, pacing faster and faster. Eventually, my mom had calmed me down enough for me to sit still. She gave me a glass of pecha juice, but I didn't even drink a sip. I was wracking my mind to think of something… ANYTHING! Anabel was my girlfriend now, and I couldn't protect her! What sort of fucking hero was I?! Unable to deal with it, I excused myself and returned to my room.

Shutting the door behind me, I began pacing again. However, I was calmer now. I was thinking, planning, and remembering. However… nothing came to mind. There was no lead. Dawn was the only possible suspect, and even then it was a stretch. She simply didn't like Anabel… but that was no reason to kill her. I thought it was all over, but then I saw something. Tucked under my pillow was a piece of paper. Pulling it out, my breath caught in my throat as I read. It went as follows.

_I know where she is. Come to my house if you want to know._

_-D_

"D" That could only mean one person. Dawn was still here… and she knew where Anabel was. Feeling my inner fire igniting, I went downstairs, put my jacket on, and told my mom I was going for a walk around the block. I felt bad for lying to her, but I had to do this! This was how I could redeem myself!

Storming down the sidewalks to Dawn's house, I ran through a million scenarios at once. Some of them had Dawn saving Anabel from some third party. Some had Dawn holding Anabel hostage, while the worst ones told me that Dawn was the killer. I shook them from my mind, not wanting to believe the lies! Finally… I arrived at Dawn's house. I remembered her telling me the address once, and I thankfully remembered it for today. Knocking on her door, I was stunned for a moment as it slowly creaked open on its own. The lights were off, so I couldn't make out anything besides what was shown in the sunlight.

"Hello?" I called into the house, put off by the door.

"Come in, Stephen!" Dawn's voice called. She sounded pretty happy to see me, so I nodded to myself and walked in, shutting the door behind me, swearing that I heard a faint click. The house smelt a little weird, like it hadn't been cleaned in a while. There was also something else… I recognized it, but couldn't place it.

"Where are you, Dawn?" I asked, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. Dawn must've closed the drapes to keep the light out. I had no idea why, but I was getting nervous.

"I'm in the kitchen~" Dawn replied with a melodious tone. Walking forward, I went through what I assumed was the doorway to the kitchen. The room was dark, so I ran my hand along the wall. Finally finding the light switch, I turned it on… and immediately wished I hadn't.

Sitting at a small, wooden, round table was Dawn happily humming to herself and rocking back and forth. However, another person was there… and they were dead. Lying in a pool of blood was an older woman, with hair as blue as Dawn's. I could only assume it was her mother.

"Oh gods…" I gagged, fighting my urge to vomit. I could barely look at the scene. All I saw was the red of the woman's blood, the paleness of her skin, and the death in her eyes. After what felt like days, I finally spoke up. "What… who did this?"

"I did, silly!" Dawn replied, as if it didn't even matter. Standing up, Dawn revealed a bloody knife she had been concealing under the table, making my blood turn cold. However, that chill was nothing for Dawn's voice as she continued. "She tried to stop me."

"S-Stop you?" I asked, feeling my knees shake as much as my voice. I then noticed I was leaning on the wall for support. "From what?"

"I told her all about how you abandoned me," Dawn said, slowly walking around the table as she did so. Her empty eyes never left the body of what used to be her own mother. "I told her how you chose that _whore_ over me!" She practically spat out the word whore. "So… I told her what I wanted to do about it." I tried to ask more… but I couldn't speak. I could barely even breathe. Here I was, in a room with a crazy girl who had killed her own mother, and then admitted to it as if it were nothing!

"I told her that, in order to win you back, I had to remove that little… nuisance from my life," Dawn continued, making me widen my eyes as my brain immediately put the pieces together. She told her mom that she was going to kill Anabel? Then… did she really?

"However…" Dawn continued. "My mother objected to my idea, and even threatened to call the police! So… I had to remove her too." Glancing over, I could see a phone on the floor. It was close to the hanging hand of Dawn's mother. "However… there was still the trouble of killing that girl. You see… she had bewitched you. You two were so happy together, always smiling and laughing. I was sad to see that, you know." Dawn paused to look at me now, making my already cold blood turn to ice. "I was so lonely. Nobody would play with me, nobody would look at me, and nobody would love me. "But… I watched. I watched, and waited. And when you two finally left one another alone… I made my move." The smile that slowly made its way across Dawn's face should never be seen by anyone. It was… wrong.

"She barely even put up a fight, you know. She heard me coming, but a quick blow to the head has a way of taking the fight out of someone. So… I picked her up and brought her here. She woke up several hours later, only to have me kill her. It was fun. She cried for you, you know… until I cut her throat open. She stopped crying after that. Hee hee heeee…."

I couldn't move as I heard her talk, only feeling silent tears roll down my face. So… it was true. Anabel was dead… just like that. Not only that… but her killer was right in front of me. I wanted to lash out, punish Dawn for what she had done… but I couldn't. She had a knife, and her stories told me that she was… merciless.

"So, Stephen!" Dawn suddenly said, making me snap to attention. She began walking towards me, ever so slowly. "Now that she's gone… what do you say? Do you forgive me? Do I still have to apologize? Will you love me like you did her?!" she ended her barrage of question mere inches from my face, holding her knife behind her as if it was a present she was hiding from me. I opened my mouth to reply, but couldn't find the words. Dawn's empty eyes bored into mine… and I was frozen. However, and it may have been my mind snapping, but I heard a voice.

"_Go, my son! Go and do what is right!" _It was a voice, sounding faintly like mine… but older. It sounded like… like my dad. Feeling a new sense of courage rise from within myself, I formed a plan.

"Of course, Dawn," I replied with a fake smile. However, it seemed sincere enough to her as she smiled, despite the emptiness of her eyes. "But in all my excitement, I seem to have forgotten that I need to use the bathroom. Do you mind if I go, before we do anything else?"

"Of course…" Dawn replied, pointing to the stairs in the living room I had just walked through. "The bathroom if the second door on your left."

"Thank you," I said with a bow before, slowly, turning and walking towards the stairs. Just as I took the first step, Dawn's voice made me freeze.

"Stephen…"

"Y-yes?" I asked, barely maintaining my farce.

"Don't go into the room at the end of the right hallway. It has nothing in it, so don't waste your time," Dawn cryptically said, giving me her bone chilling smile. I gave her a nod in reply and continued up the stairs. Once at the top, I looked around. I needed an escape route. If I could get out, call the police, and somehow keep Dawn in here… I could bring her to justice. I could let Anabel rest in peace!

However, as I looked around, I noticed the room Dawn had just warned me about. It was slightly cracked open, but I couldn't see inside. I was used to the dark a bit, now… but being in the kitchen with the light on had killed my night vision. I almost took a step towards the room, but remembered Dawn's warning. So, thinking myself clever, I took several exaggerated steps towards the left hallway. Once I was just outside the bathroom, I crept silently towards the room at the end of the hallway. If Dawn was listening in on me, she'd definitely think me in the bathroom!

Finally reaching the door, I pushed it open, thanking every deity I knew of that it didn't creak. However, I wasn't ready for what I saw. It was a girl's room… presumably Dawn's. It had a bed, a nightstand with a mirror, a desk with a laptop, and a dead body. That's right… right on Dawn's bed was another dead body, this one cut up even worse. Blood was absolutely everywhere, covering the pillows, the blanket, and the floor beside it. Forcing myself to walk up closer, I had to cover my mouth to keep from crying out. Despite the mess that as now her face… I could easily tell who it was, thanks to her killer. Looking at a cut throat… I recognized the body of Anabel.

Shaking like a leaf, I further resolved to bring Dawn to justice for this. Slowly, I crept backwards, not able to take my eyes off of the scene. I neared the doorway, and made ready to close the door. I remembered how open it was when I had seen it, so I could easily match it and make Dawn think I had never been here. But… there was a problem.

"You're a very naughty boy, Stephen," Dawn said from right behind me. I whipped around as fast as I could, ready to defend myself. However, the next sensation I felt was like something entering the right side of my chest and coming out my back. Looking down, I could see Dawn's arm, connected to her hand, which was holding the knife she had just stabbed me with. Then the pain hit me. Just as Dawn pulled the knife out I lurched forward and shoved her, slamming the door shut behind her as I did so. Bracing myself, I began to hold it closed while I gasped vainly for air. Every breath sent pain shooting through my whole body, and I could feel the blood seeping out of me. The right half of my jacket was soaked in it now, and I was beginning to feel a little dizzy.

"Stephen…" Dawn called, knocking on the door.

_Knock… knock… knock…_

"You can't hold that door closed forever, Stephen," Dawn continued, and I knew she was right. She was turning the handle, and I could feel her pushing back on the door. I was just barely able to keep her out! Frantically looking around, I searched for a way out. Then I saw a window! If I leapt out of it, I could land in the soft snow below! Then I could… do something else! Taking my plan for what it was for now, I counted to myself. I'd go for it on three.

"_One… two… THREE!" _I sprang off of the door, made it to the window, and had enough time to just see Dawn's shocked face as I fell to my safety.

At least… that was the plan. As soon as I made to turn, the pain in my chest made my crumble to the floor, unable to stand. I had no breath, and the sound of me gasping for air filled the room. And then Dawn opened the door. I could barely see at this point, tears blurring my vision. Slowly… she walked up to me.

"You tried to abandon me. I won't let you do that." Seeing the shadow, I looked up just in time to see Dawn sit down on my chest, sending a new wave of pain coursing through my body. Gasping, I was silenced by the most emotionless kiss I've ever experienced. It didn't last long, but Dawn kept a hand on my cheek. "I love you… but I don't want you." Having enough time to blink, I saw it.

Dawn lifted the knife above her head, crying as she did so, and slammed it into my chest for a second time. I barely registered the new pain over the old one. But I felt my heart stop as Dawn hit it. I had just enough time to hear Dawn start her frantic laughter again before my eyes rolled into the back of my head, and my spirit left me.

My name is Stephen Langley… and I'm dead.

**(…)**

**Whoo boy! Was that a ride or what? I actually really enjoyed writing this story, and I hope you all at least got some thrills from reading it! I tried several new things in this, just to get the experience. First off, I wrote this in the First Person, which I'm sure you all noticed. Next, I used something I learned from Greek poetry. It's called Hamartia, and it's basically a character's deadly flaw. However, in this case, it was also Stephen's strength. His drive to be a hero made him a great guy, and let him become well like by most people. However, it eventually made him do things on his own, like not telling his mother about confronting Dawn, and exploring the room, despite Dawn's warning. Like the Hamartia of the ancient Greeks, this one led to the character's ultimate downfall.**

**Let me know what you guys thought of the story! Rest assured, I'm still writing May a New Day Dawn, and the next chapter is about half-done. But I see why authors write stories like this! It really gave me the passion to write again!**

**As a closing note, please don't follow this. It won't ever update, as it was a one-shot… albeit a veeery long one. Feel free to favorite it though, as well as check out my other works if you liked it! Just note that my other stuff is a little… happier than this.**

**Anyways, I'm Flamewing98, signing off!**


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